Developers Guide: Get your game published in the Brazilian Windows Phone or Windows 8 Store

For years, publishing games in the South American nation of Brazil was a laborious and mysterious process. While most countries allow developers to publish games with no additional certification beyond those of the platform holder, a few states like Brazil, South Korea, and Russia add on their own approval processes. As you’d expect, the challenge of navigating Brazil’s certifications without speaking Brazilian Portuguese has long prevented many games from releasing in that territory.

Thankfully, the Brazilian government revised their certification policies a few months ago. Now games that have an ESRB or PEGI certification can be submitted for approval through a fast and simple process. Should your game not have one of those certifications, you can alternately request the Brazilian DJCTQ certification.

Windows Phone Central has created a guide for both processes. Follow it, submit your games, and don’t miss out on all those potential Brazilian Windows Phone and Windows 8/RT customers!

Games with ESRB or PEGI Ratings

If your game already has one of these certifications, publishing in Brazil is a snap. During the standard Windows Phone or Windows 8 submission process, you’ll arrive at the Game Rating Certificates screen. The DJCTQ category pertains to Brazil.

Just choose an age range that matches your existing certification as closely as possible. L is short for “Livre para todas as idades.” That means free for all ages, much like the ESRB rating E for Everyone. Having selected the appropriate rating, upload your existing ESRB or PEGI certification document, and continue on as usual.

Games without existing certifications

ESRB and PEGI ratings

Now, it’s probably better to seek one of the previously mentioned certifications rather than a Brazil-specific DJCTQ one. PEGI and ESRB will prove more beneficial in the long run since they apply to more than one country.

Still, if you want to skip straight to Brazilian certification, you’ll need these four things:

A form provided by the government (is attached);

A synopsis of the game;

The game itself and/or a gameplay video that shows the main features of the game.

A Declaration of Rights to the Game (proof of ownership, only if your name differs from the publisher name)

All three documents can be in English, Spanish or Portuguese. Don’t worry about translating into Portuguese.

For Platform, if publishing a Windows Phone game, you only need to check Cell/ Smartphones. You could get more specific, check other and put Windows Phone. But then you’d need to resubmit the form if you port to other mobile platforms, so don’t do that.

If publishing a Windows 8 game, select Computer/PC for the Platform or Other and then specify Windows 8.

The Game Title in Brazil can be the regular English title unless you prefer to call it something different in that country.

In the Game Distributor box, put the publisher’s name and method of distribution. Example: Gameloft – Windows Phone Store.

The form must be signed by hand, so after completing it, print the form, sign it, and then scan it before submission.

Step Two: Write a synopsis of the game.

This just needs to be a thorough description of the game in Word format. You could probably just copy the game’s existing store description, but I recommend going into more detail and excluding verbiage aimed at selling the game. Also include a global link to the game in the same document.

Step Three: The Game and/or a gameplay video

If the game is already available in an online store, provide a global link to the store page. Remember, you can combine this with the synopsis. If the link does not offer a Trial or Demo option, the certification will take up to three extra months, so let’s make sure your game has a trial!

You could also get by with just a link to a gameplay video. But the process will go much faster if you provide both the game/trial and a video within your synopsis document.

Step Four: Declaration of Rights to the Game

Only complete this step if the publisher name is different from the name of the person filling out the form. In other words, if you publish under your own name, skip it. But if you publish under a company name, I believe you need to do this.

This document needs to declare that you are the copyright holder of the game or that the holder is aware that you are asking for the DJCTQ rating. You can add this to the same document as the synopsis, but the declaration must also be signed by hand. Refer to Step One instructions about signing documents.

Enter the game name in the blank form and click the Consulta button. If the game isn’t found, you’ll be taken to a results not found screen.

From there, click Abrir/Fechar Pesquisa at the left of the screen. You'll arrive at the advanced search screen shown above.

Fill in the game title or search term, check the Todos (all) box, and enter the date of submission and current date. Hit Consulta again.

If your game comes up in the search results, it’s been approved! The line Classificação: will state the actual rating. Make sure to save the INPDFViewer.pdf file from your game’s certification page as your proof of certification.

Final Step: Submit game to the Windows Phone or Windows 8 Store

During the standard Windows Phone or Windows 8 Store submission process, you’ll select the DJCTQ option and age group as described at the beginning of this guide. Upload the INPDFViewer.pdf file as proof. Once Microsoft approves the game, it’ll show up in the Brazilian Windows Phone or Windows 8 Store. Now you can just sit back and watch the money roll in.

Reader comments

Developers Guide: Get your game published in the Brazilian Windows Phone or Windows 8 Store

Just an update to your article: we are publishing on Microsoft and you cannot just submit ERSB or PEGI for Brazil. It's required to use those certifcates for the self-rating process with Brazilian administration. Otherwise, your app will be rejected for submission.

Hi, this is what we did at first and it worked. But then we updated our game and suddenly it was rejected because we didn't have the self-rating certificate from Russia and Brazil.
It seems self-rating means that you can ask for a self-rating process to the Brazilian organization by showing a PEGI or ESRB rating. For doing so, we are following the other steps in the article. But still, some questions remains like do we have to put a tax number since we aren't a Brazilian-based company and the brazilian administration isn't fast to reply to questions.

Hello jlynnm350z. Since you really like Brazilian women. You can see this example: A beautiful Actress in Brazil working on a novel expression. In full novel Bloom Caribbean (official entertainment Brazil), using a Nokia Lumia 920 yellow. Here this being a big hit today. Being issued by the largest and best broadcaster in Brazil and South America, the Globo. She called Graziela Massafera.

The WP has more chances to get a high jump in Brazil than a iPhone... some Nokia Devices was able to the market here where a low price helps people to get a Lumia...
But there is no apps enough in WP Market in Brazil.
I have to change my region my self to get somme others apps in Canadian and Us Market...
Same with Games, if the cost is in REAL, and not in Dollars, i will be very generous to buy a ot of apps and games! rsrs

That's a nice thing, but developers, remember one thing: You MUST leave the app compatible to 512 MB devices.
That's because our government apply high taxes to cellphones, and since a Lumia 620 costs R$ 699,00, a Lumia 920 costs R$ 1999,00.

Many foreign developers has been bringing attention to the Brazilian marketplace, but the Government is one of the obstacles that discourage many, really, our Government is a shame ...I ask all developers who look to Brazil, where the Windows Phone marketshare is already greater than the iOS.
Come on developers! We Brazilians are waiting for you!